Religious discrimination in the theatre business?

[gareth]

A recent post in the 'sits vac' forum prompts this question ...

 

How can an employer, seeking to engage the services of someone to perform a techincal role for a touring theatre production, justify using religious belief as a criteria for selecting the successful candidate? Why must someone be a Christian in order to effectively run a follow-spot for this production?

 

Here is the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, from which the advertiser is claiming exemption in this case. Part 2, Regulation 7 would seem to be the one under which the employer in this case is attempting to justify discriminating against all non-Christian religions when selecting candidates - can anyone please enlighten me as to how any of the possible reasons for exemption from the regs, as detailed in paragraphs 2 and 3 of that regulation, might be seen to apply to an employee carrying out a technical role on a touring theatre production? I'm genuinely puzzled ... ;)

[morepowerigor]

I tend to agree with you. Is this the thin of the wedge, did the cast and crew of Joseph have to be Christian only. Me thinks this may be a bit of a minefield. Still does not affrect me, because (1) I don't work in theatre often and (2) I am a Christian (C of E, non practising), does that make me in eligible to apply??

[Modge]

I agree it's simply wrong to deny some one work on grounds of faith, no matter what faith. I would however argue it's perhaps marginally better than pretending to be open to anyone then selecting on the grounds of religion - at least you this way people know why the most qualified candidate doesn't have the job. Another point to consider is that perhaps a non believer would be uncomfortably there - I can't help but feel that they must all be fairly extreme Christians (You don't do a theatre tour for free because you're vaguely interested in a religion do you?). Now I don't know about others but I'm not a Christian (well...I'm baptised by I can't say I actually share the beliefs of most Christians) and having found my self as the only non believer in a large group of believers a few times (many of my good friends are Christian) and frankly it's uncomfortable. I wouldn't fancy being on tour as the token non-believer.

 

That said if some one needed the experience (and in any other circumstances, the money) how could it possibly be fair they be denied it on the grounds of faith?

 

The remaining point is what a valid reason to deny some one a job on the grounds of not being a Christian? Fact is I really can't see how the lighting tech not being a Christian can impair his ability to program a desk. If he was also asked to hear confession as well as operate lights then then yes it could be a problem, but I suspect that would be mentioned if that was the case.

 

 

With trepidation, posting in a thread about religion

Chris

[themadhippy]

.

Another point to consider is that perhaps a non believer would be uncomfortably there

I love a challenge,were do I apply?

relgion? yes im a pisssedup testicostical

[gareth]

Now I don't know about others but I'm not a Christian (well...I'm baptised by I can't say I actually share the beliefs of most Christians) and having found my self as the only non believer in a large group of believers a few times (many of my good friends are Christian) and frankly it's uncomfortable. I wouldn't fancy being on tour as the token non-believer.

What about if you were the only Afro-Carribean person in a large group? Or the only gay person? Or the only wheelchair user? Or, for that matter, the only Muslim? Would you be saying to yourself "Ah, what the hell, I don't mind if they discriminate against me at the interview selection stage, because I'd only feel out of place if I got the job"? Like hell you would - you'd be jumping up and down, incandescent with rage, and getting straight on the phone to the Equality & Human Rights Commission (and quite rightly so). So why should it be any different to discriminate against non-Christians?

 

Personally, I think there are some questions which really ought to be answered before the BR should consider hosting a job ad (yes, I know it's only voluntary, but that doesn't matter) that's as potentially discriminatory (and possibly illegal, unless the advertiser can state exactly what grounds they are claiming for non-compliance with the Regulations) as this one ...

[Badger_Mushroom]

I am pretty certain that this is very much illegal. Regardless of the statute stated, European law takes precedents over the law of England and Wales. Now I would assume that European law would make this job advert illegal, however, not being all that up on European Law I could not say for certain.

[gareth]

Have PM'd the advertiser asking for clarification as to exactly what aspects of the jobs they're claiming as criteria for exemption from the regs ...

[steve h]

It does seem that the tour appears to be an 'outreach' opportunity..."into schools"...and so in the same way as a vicar has to be a christian (im sure it helps!) I would expect the people telling me about something to believe it...after all, theatre is a team effort!

 

On the other hand, if this is a religous outreach it would be nice to believe that they would think themselves able to convert a crew member ;)

 

Steve

[gareth]

It does seem that the tour appears to be an 'outreach' opportunity..."into schools"...and so in the same way as a vicar has to be a christian (im sure it helps!) I would expect the people telling me about something to believe it...after all, theatre is a team effort!

But you wouldn't expect the man from the AV contractor who set up the mics in the church to be a Christian, would you? So by the same token, why does the follow-spot operator pointing the lime at a Christian actor have to be of a specific religion? You're not going to convince me on this one, I'm afraid!

 

Anyway, I think the fact that the company is looking to recruit a full touring tech staff, from dressers to lime ops, tells us that it's not really comparable to the stereotypical "three blokes in a transit" schools outreach tour - it's clearly something bigger. Either that, or they're trying to make it sound bigger than it actually is ;).

[steve h]

You're not going to convince me on this one, I'm afraid!

 

Dont worry...im sitting here not sure what I thin - although I can see their side of it

 

[rant]

(am a Christian, and have been round Christian groups all my life with my Dad being a vicar and all, now living in the middle of a theological college (vicar school!) as he teaches there)

 

it does annoy me that they do seem to be going out of their way to exclude people (And this does seem to be happening alot in the church atm). After all if this is outreach surly they should let everyone in...and on the otherside the outreach would work better if they got the best people for the jobs, not just Christians

 

[/rant]

[Simon Lyall]

it is an interesting question and I'm not quite sure where I stand on this. However, if the cast & crew are going to be gathering before each performance to pray and that sort of thing, it would be quite an issue if you weren't christian. I do like it's ecumenical stance though, referring to the need to be christian and not a specific denomination. I know of an adventure company who run a few adventure holiday centers in england, who require all of their staff to be christian (all the way down to the cleaning staff of the rooms), and also require them to attend services each week (and pray groups etc ). They don't cater just for christian groups at their centre either, just their whole company is.

 

 

Simon

[cedd]

From another Christian, I have to say I too can see both sides.

The shows I've seen (mainly music acts) have used the tag line to the audience "all of us who came together to make this show are Christians", and I can see its' point - our faith helped us do this and we've done this because of our faith, for you.

I also see that a Christian tour may well be very different from a seccular tour. Prayer before rigging, depentent on the quality of the ladders - prayer during rigging, and all the usual bits and pieces. I also notice that this is a freebie, there's no pay offered. One would therefore assume (unless you're doing it for experience) that the operators are there because they have a passion and belief in the work the show was doing.

 

On the other hand, I agree that saying it outright is possibly not the best way to go. Perhaps advertising in some christian technical forums (they do exist I've been told) or magazines would have been better.

I know some very good Christian lighting engineers, and am a reasonably bad christian sound engineer. That said, by stating that as being a limiting factor, the pool of people available has drastically decreased. They are probably less likely to find the best person they can for the job (technically, not from a faith background).

[Modge]

I would argue that if everyone but you prayed then whilst as I said above it would be a little uncomfortable it would very much be the companies problem to sort, not the new employee's. Making them pray if they didn't believe in it would be no solution and unethical, so getting used to everyone aside from the new follow spot op praying would seem to be the way forward. It's not after all like they could claim they couldn't do there job with out divine help, since they can operate a follow spot for anyone else with out help.

[Tom]

did the cast and crew of Joseph have to be Christian only.

 

Presumably not, given it's a musical about a load of Jews, set way way back many centuries ago, not long after the bible began, and therefore predating the birth of Christ by... - hmm, I'm not sure how long.

 

T

[gareth]

if the cast & crew are going to be gathering before each performance to pray and that sort of thing, it would be quite an issue if you weren't christian.

Wouldn't be an issue to me (not, at any rate, if I were to be considering applying for any of the advertised positions - which I hasten to add that I am most definitely not!). If anything, the disappearance of the rest of the company for a few minutes in order to pray to whatever god they believe in could well be a welcome bit of 'me time' before the show went up, to sit there and finish my brew in peace while contemplating the greater issues of the day. ;)

 

I do like it's ecumenical stance though, referring to the need to be christian and not a specific denomination.

Ecumenical, denominational, whatever - it's still discriminatory, for no good reason that I can think of.

 

I know of an adventure company who run a few adventure holiday centers in england, who require all of their staff to be christian (all the way down to the cleaning staff of the rooms), and also require them to attend services each week (and pray groups etc ). They don't cater just for christian groups at their centre either, just their whole company is.

Regardless of the religious affiliation of the people working for the company, what they're doing is illegal - if they won't consider non-Christians for a room-cleaning job solely because they're the 'wrong' religion or because they're irreligious (is that a word?!), they are breaking the law. It's that simple.